I love her, I love her not
by akari-chann
Summary: Natsu and Lucy broke up. He went off to somewhere to wind up. She stayed in Fairy Tail and lived her usual life. After some time, Lucy finds comfort in Gray. But what happens when Natsu comes back? NaLu vs. GrayLu x
1. Prologue: Lucy's POV

**~I love her. I love her not.**

**A/N: Hi minnaa! This is my 1****st**** NaLu fanfic which has a chapter more than one. I only tried to do it since NaLu is one of my favourite pairings in FT. And oh yeah, to those who are following my other stories, thank you so much! Ja', enough of this and on to the story! Enjoy!~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Summary: Natsu and Lucy broke up. He went off to somewhere to wind up. She stayed in Fairy Tail and lived her usual life. After some time, Lucy finds comfort in Gray. But what happens when Natsu comes back?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Prologue **

**Lucy's POV**

As the sun greeted every citizen of Magnolia, I happily woke up from my slumber and remembered that tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow will be Natsu and I's 1st year anniversary. And as a gift, I bought him a locket and put our first picture as a couple in there. At first, I was really troubled of what I should give him. I thought that a locket would be perfect but then it crossed my mind that won't a necklace make him look, I don't know, unmanly? But as I thought of it once again, Natsu was after all, wearing a scarf so he could wear the accessory and just hide it in there.

As I walked my way towards the guild, I happened to come across a store and decided to buy a pleasant box for my present. As I was paying in the cashier, the idea of what might Natsu give to me tomorrow made me smile. He may seem like the exact opposite of a boyfriend material type of guy but I tell you, sometimes he really is super sweet. I could still remember our first monthsary. He acted as if he didn't remember it at all, which made me furious. And then when I got home, I saw my apartment's been decorated all over. He even prepared a dish that was, well, to be honest, just okay. After all, I don't think he was born to be a cook, but I truly found his efforts sweet.

As I exit the shop, I saw Natsu headed towards my direction. I was quite puzzled, but what I did first was hide the box. After all, I didn't want to spoil my present for him.

"Where are you going Natsu?"

"Oh, Luce. I was about to go to your apartment, but I see I don't have to anymore" he forced a smile.

"Why? I mean, why were you going there?"

"Because…" he then took my hand, "Come with me"

"E-eh? Where are we going?"

"…"

"Oi, Natsu, answer me!"

"…"

He didn't reply to my question. He just held my hand tightly. I didn't ask him again. I smiled to the thought that maybe, he was about to surprise me again just like what he did before.

"Oi Natsu, where exactly are we going?" I queried as I noticed that we were already in the woods.

"Here." He let go of my hand. "Here is perfect instead of your room."

"Wh-what are you—" I blushed. Of course! Who wouldn't blush?! I mean, your boyfriend dragging you into a dark, quiet, free of people kind of place, not to mention it's our anniversary tomorrow, so of course I blushed.

He then took a step towards me, "O-oi Nat—" then he hugged me.

"Luce…"

"What?"

"Tell me. Do you love me?"

Upon hearing his question, I felt my face heat up once again. This is exactly what I see in movies. The part wherein the guy asks if the girl really loves him and then tells her to prove it, "O-of course Natsu… why do you ask?"

His hug became even tighter, "Then answer me. Is this what's best for us?"

"What?"

"Is it better this way? You know I love you and I know that you love me too. But isn't this—"

I cut him off by hugging him and digging my face on his shoulder, "Natsu what're you trying to say?"

"I don't think… I don't think this is the best for us…"

I felt a pang in my chest. I know what he meant, and it was like my heart was about to burst out. "I don't, I don't understand"

"Luce. Let's be real. We've been fighting for almost like every day, we've been fighting over the smallest matters… and—"

"But that's finish Natsu! I mean, it's normal for couples to fight right?" a tear ran down my face.

"That's it. Tell me, don't you miss the old days? The days when you and I weren't fighting like those fights? The days when we didn't cry this much? The days when you and I were just friends?"

"A-are you…" I can't hold back my emotions anymore; I cried my heart out as I tightened my grip on his clothes. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"You know Luce… I should be the one asking you that." He swallowed hard, "Do you want to break up with me?"

"What the hell Natsu! I don't understand you. You tell me things back when we were just friends and you're asking me if I want to break up?! What is wrong with you?!"

"I am asking you, because I know, I know that you're tired. I know that you wake up every day and your first thought is that you can't do this anymore. I am not breaking up with you. More like, I am letting you go, Luce."

"What?! If I have been feeling that way, then I should have broken up with you a long time ago! If I wanted you to let go, then I should've showed you that!"

"You haven't because you love me, and you're just enduring everything. But… but I can't bear this anymore, Luce." Now his voice was shaky, almost like he was about to cry. "It's as if every day I've been killing you and the thought of that kills me too."

"Wh-why are you saying that?"

"Don't you see, we were way better before."

His words hurt so much. I love him, and he says he loves me, so why? I couldn't understand.

"You're hurt, right Luce? That's why this has to end. I'm hurting you way too much. I can't take any of this anymore. If it's just me that's hurting, I could endure it. But seeing you like this, crying, tired, broken because of a stupid, useless, boyfriend like me, that's hurting me even more."

"I… don't wanna hear any of this anymore." I said as I gently pushed him away from me. I saw his face. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were full of despair. "I, I actually got you this for tomorrow." I said as I pulled the box out of my pocket. "Open it." I ordered as I wiped my tears.

He looked in a different direction, showing me that he doesn't want to. Then I took his hand and placed the box on it, "I said open it."

"…"

"Okay then, if you don't wanna open it now, open it later." I said as I turned my back away from him.

He lowered his head, "Lu-Luce. I'll be going somewhere. So, so you won't… so we can move on."

"A-ahh." That was my last word before I walked away, crying.

I wasn't even sure if it was he who broke my heart or it was I who broke his heart. But one thing was unquestionable, we were both broken at the time. I wanted to say a lot of things. But I didn't because I couldn't. I knew he would just insist what he thinks is "better", and I was already hurt. Way too hurt to hear any further from him. I felt like if I stopped him from "letting me go", I would feel like I was the only one wanting our relationship. And that won't work. Oh, he surprised me alright. He just did in a very wounding way. He said we're better off this way, and then he's going to who-knows-where. That didn't made sense to me. I have read a lot of novels wherein the characters say that if you truly love someone, let him or her go. To be honest, I thought that was crap. Why would you let go if he or she doesn't want to? That's what happened between Natsu and me. He let go even if I don't want to. He said that he doesn't want to hurt me anymore. Did he think I feel any better? Am I not hurt now? Nothing was really clear to me. But despite of what happened, I didn't hate him. I still loved him, a lot. But that damn dragon slayer is just really, really unpredictable. One minute he appears as if he loves me, and the next appears as if he loves me not.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? Did you guys understand it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry if you see mistakes! By the way, my next update will be the prologue of Natsu's POV. Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/ xx**


	2. Prologue: Natsu's POV

**A/N: Yo minna! Sorry for the late update. You see, I have 6 in-progress fanfics right now. I know I shouldn't use that as my excuse, I just wanna let you guys know so you can understand my situation better. But see to it that every chapter I will publish shall be worth the wait! :D**

**By the way, thank you for your reviews, etc.! I really appreciate your efforts! Now, enough of this and on to the story! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own fairy tail.**

**Prologue**

**Natsu's POV**

I went to the guild earlier than the usual. As I entered the door, I looked around to see if Lucy's already there. And she's not. Tomorrow is our 1st year anniversary. And I know I should be happy about it, because after all, I didn't expect us to last this long. I really commend her patience and love towards me.

"Natsu, you're early today!" Mira greeted me.

I forced a smile.

"Of course, she doesn't want Lucy to arrive here first; it's their anniversary tomorrow after all. Maybe Natsu has a surprise for her and he'll ask for everybody's help again just like what he did before" Lisanna smirked.

Well, actually, I don't. I know it's our anniversary tomorrow but I hadn't bought any gift for her yet, nor do I have plans. Lately, I have been wondering. Lucy and I have been fighting for almost like every day. Typically, I'm the one who always starts the issue. I don't know why. What I commonly brought up is that we lack time for each other; that sometimes I think she likes talking to Gray more than she does to me, silly things like that. To be honest, I don't even know why I do that. Maybe it's because I'm afraid. Maybe I'm too scared to lose her. Maybe I'm frightened that one day, she might grow out her fondness of me. Maybe I'm troubled to see that she's happier with someone else. I don't really know. But I love her! Then I came up with the conclusion that maybe, I am obsessed with her. I don't want her to ever leave my side, and I'm afraid that if this relationship goes any further, I might not be able to let her go by the time she would want me to. Is that really it? Or maybe I am just being a paranoid? Maybe I just need time. Time to be alone. Time to think things over.

Then that's when I decided to do it. I should let her go now while I still can. I stood up from my chair, and then strolled towards the door,

"Oi Natsu, where are you going?" was the last words I heard from someone, I think that was Gray.

I headed towards Lucy's apartment; It's better to converse with her there than in the guild right? I know her too much, I know she'll cry, and I don't want the other members to see her like that. I am not afraid that they might get angry towards me. I just know that after our conversation, I'm sure she would want to be alone and the guild members are gossipmongers and way too rowdy to blend in with her mood.

As I walked the way to her place, I saw her came out of a shop. I bet she already bought a gift for me. I saw her innocent, pretty face asking me where I was going. Darn it, her honest eyes make me wanna just go ahead and carry on with this relationship. But as much as I want, I just can't.

I answered by taking her hand, tightly holding it for this might be my last chance. I was about to bring her to her room, but as I thought of it, I realized that she would want to be alone later so it'd be better to take her in another location so after our conversation, she can just stay in her place. I know her, she might run away and if I take her in her apartment, she'll have nowhere to run other than the guild, and I won't want that. I'll just take her somewhere so if she runs away, she can head towards her apartment.

As we arrived in the forest, butterflies suddenly flew in my stomach. This is harder than I thought. I saw her flustered face as I took her into a dark, quiet area; she has no idea at all. I hugged her,

"Is this what's best for us?" I queried. It took me a lot of guts to say that!

She hugged me back. No Lucy, please, don't. You're making this tougher for me.

I swallowed hard, "Do you want to break up with me?" I knew I didn't make sense to her.

She cried so much as I spoke. By that time, I was trying my best to prevent my tears from falling that the muscles in my throat were hurting so much. I told her my reasons. And reasonably, she didn't comprehend. Well, even I don't understand why I'm doing this, but I know that it'd best for her if I let go now.

I spilled pointless explanations. I know this will do the trick. Please, Lucy, believe me, you're better off without me.

I kept on saying things. I wasn't even sure if I meant every single word I said. All I thought was I needed to let her go now, whatever the means are. I know I looked like the bad guy. It's our anniversary tomorrow and this is my gift for her? I know. I am the worst boyfriend ever. But then, I knew she's tired. If we stay as we are, maybe I won't be able to see her true, genuine smile again. And I don't want that.

Finally, she pushed me gently. I saw her face. It was full of tears. I really wanted to cry and hold her tight, believe me! But I can't! I needed to show a face that looks oblivious, insensitive. I needed to do that so she'll have to fight for us no more. She wiped her tears and then pulled out a box. It's her present for me. She told me to open it but I didn't want to. Of course! I hurt her very much and then in the return, she gives me this?

She then took my hand and placed the box on it, now what should I do? Darn it, can I embrace her again and tell her to forget everything I said? Can we just continue our relationship?

I was about to take a step forward when she turned her back away from me. I decided to stop and just voice that I'm going away so we can move on. Actually, the real reason why I will go away is because I don't have the nerve to interact with her anymore after what I did. I'm sure she'll just feel wounded every time she sees me, so I needed to go somewhere far.

"A-ahh." That was the last word I heard from her. As she walked away, I knew she was crying, she was sniffing so loud, that's my Luce alright. And as her image disappeared completely out of my sight, I leaned against a tree, face palmed, and then I cried. In fact, I wailed. That would probably be my most pathetic face. Right now, I know she's headed towards her place, to be alone.

After our dramatic scene, I marched towards the guild. And of course, she's not there. Everyone observed that I looked miserable, and they asked me what happened. But I didn't answer them back. Instead, who I only talked to was Gramps. I told him what was going on and asked if I could go somewhere for quite some time. He approved of it and told me that I can come back whenever I want.

I left the guild without saying a word. If they wanted to hear an explanation, I want it to come from _her_. And as usual, Happy tagged along with me, but as long as I'm concerned, he'll stay in the guild, he just wanted to know where I'm going so he can visit me sometimes.

"Goodbye everyone. Goodbye Luce." I mumbled.

If I have any words to tell her right now, I would want to say sorry. I really love her! But I just wanna apologize if sometimes it looks as if I love her not. Sorry Luce. One day, I'll be back hoping to see your sweet, true, real smile again.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes!**

**My next update will be all about the present time. That would be 6 months after this event. Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	3. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi minna! Sorry for the late update. By the way, thank you for your reviews, etc.! I really appreciate your efforts! I wish you guys liked the prologue! Now, on the 1****st**** chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: My name is not Hiro Mashima.**

**Chapter 1**

It has been 6 months since Natsu Dragneel left Fairy Tail for a vacation. Of course, everyone was sad and worried about him leaving for a while. After all, Fairy Tail doesn't seem like Fairy Tail if one's missing, especially if that one is Natsu. But as they thought of it, there is nothing they can do but to wait for him to come back. They don't know what's in his mind, so it's better to just let him, well, move on by himself. While he was still in the verge of getting over _it, _she, on the other hand, already has with the help of a certain ice mage in the guild.

It all started when the fire mage left. The days passed by like nothing for the celestial mage. She had been attending the guild, but hadn't shown any enthusiasm for anything. She might have done jobs but not without someone. Or else, she might've been dead by now. Even though Lucy is a strong and intelligent mage, what she had been lacking was focus. It was very clear. She was depressed. There were countless times when the members tried to make her happy. But they failed. Yes, she would laugh, she would smile on the outside. But all of them can tell that inside, she's damaged. It wasn't easy for her to move on, of course! Natsu was her first love! Ever since they broke up, the once cheerful, fun-loving blonde turned into a quiet, gloomy, petulant one.

And then one rainy day, Gray decided to visit her as she didn't come to the guild. As he came to her room, he saw her crying. Crying her heart out. He then showed up to comfort her,

"Lucy, you're crying again?"

She laughed while stream of tears ran down her face, "I'm tired. I, I don't know what to do anymore."

He sat beside her, "Then why are you crying alone?"

"I don't know… I just felt like the clouds were blending in with my mood. I really envy them, Gray… Once in a while, it rains. If the amount of water they have been holding in is too much for them to take, they would just let it out easily. They don't have to endure the pain; they don't even have worry, because every person knows that it's normal to rain. But how 'bout me? Isn't it normal for me to cry? As much as I'm concerned, I cried many times before. So why? Why are you asking me as if you haven't seen me like this?"

"It's because it's different this time. Ever since you guys parted ways, you have been crying for the same thing over and over again. You don't even talk to anyone about what you feel. You have been taking it all in, all by yourself."

"That's because…" she stood up, "That's because I'm strong enough to handle this alone. Don't worry." She forced a smile.

"I know you're strong enough to take this alone…" he stood up then hugged her, "But you don't have to…" he placed his hand behind her head, gesturing to just let it all out, "We're here for you. I'm here for you."

After that incident, Lucy somehow slowly regained the emotions she abandoned. Gray helped her move on and showed her his affection. Presently, they have been dating for three months.

.

.

So, it was yet another day in Fairy Tail. Everything seemed quite normal until Magnolia once again experienced the nerve-wracking arrival of Gildarts Clive. And of course, the fairies were very happy. It has been eight months since he had gone for a S-class Mission. And of course, the very first thing he did was hug his daughter,

"Cana! Did you miss me? I see you drank beer again without me, but don't worry, I'm back!"

She pushed his face off of hers, "What?! *hick* I didn't even miss you!"

Everyone laughed as they saw the extraordinary father-daughter bonding the two have,

"Hi Gildarts, welcome back!" Lucy greeted.

"Oh, hi Lucy!" he then let go of Cana and looked around, "Say… Where's Natsu?"

There was a minute of silence then BAAM! Cana threw a bottle at his face, "Ouch! What was that for?" he was tearing.

"Tch- you've been gone for a long time, so much has changed. You shouldn't just spill out questions like that!"

He didn't understand a thing. What's wrong about asking where a nakama is? But then, everyone was silent, so he just does what everybody did. They looked at Lucy.

"Wh-what?!" she forced a laugh, "Don't worry about me, guys. It's alright!" she walked towards Gildarts, "Natsu's taking a break and no one knows where he is but Happy" she smiled.

"Oh yeah! Speaking of Natsu, it's time for me to visit him!" the cat flew outside the guild.

After that, everyone went back to what they were doing,

"Lucy…"

"Yes Ms. Mira?"

She giggled, "Nothing… I'm just happy. I still can't believe that you've moved on."

"Actually, me too. I can still remember those days when I always vexed and sobbed after hearing his name. But now, I'm completely fine!" she clasped her hands then lowered her head, "All thanks to Gray…"

"Yeah… I can see he really replaced Natsu in your heart!"

"He didn't replace him…" she tilted her face up then smiled, "More like; he's the one who fixed me!"

.

.

"Natsu!"

"Oh Happy! Long time no see!"

"Yeah, if you hadn't tell me to visit you after every three months, then you wouldn't have greet me that!" he crossed his arms.

He forced a laugh, "I'm sorry. You know why I asked you that, right? By the way, how's the guild?"

"Everything's just the same, but there are three main changes!"

"Eh?"

"Yes! You have to listen carefully! First, Gildarts is back!"

"Really? If I was there, I probably would be sparring with him by now!"

"And he's probably beaten you to a pulp too! Second, you know Lyon right?"

"Yeah. Gray's friend from Lamia Scale. What about him?"

"See, he had been showering Juvia with all his love for her so eventually, he succeeded!"

"Oh really?! Now that was quite a shocker! I thought she was head over heels for Gray. Oh well, good for her though. I don't even get what she liked about that ice freak." he shuddered.

"Actually, like you said, she really liked Gray. I think the reason why she let go is because she saw Lyon's sincerity. Oh! And also add the fact that Gray likes somebody else!" he smirked.

"He does? I never thought he'd like anyone!" he chuckled, "I honestly thought I'd marry first before he likes someone! By the way, what's the third thing you're about to say?"

"Well… this one's connected to Gray too. But you have to promise me that you won't cry!"

"What?! Why would I even cr-?!"

"Just promise!"

"Okay, okay! I swear I won't cry because I really won't."

"Okay, here it goes… Lucy has moved on."

He was shocked; you can see it in his eyes. He was shocked, but glad to have heard that. "Wait, what's that got to do with Gray?"

"She moved on because of Gray…"

That made him shut up. So that's why Happy asked him to not cry. It's because his ex-girlfriend and his well, probably best pal, are now lovers.

He slowly walked away with his head down.

"Natsu! You okay?" the exceed followed him.

"Yeah, Happy. Since you've told me good news from the guild, it's now my turn to tell mine…"

_Good news? As if Gray and Lucy together is good news to you… typical Natsu. _"What is it?"

"Before you arrived, I've actually decided."

"Decided?"

"Yes. I've decided to finally come back to the Fairy Tail."

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes!**

**Now that he's coming back, would that change anything? How would everyone react? More importantly, how would Lucy, Gray, and Natsu act towards each other? Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	4. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi minna! Sorry for the late update! By the way, thank you for your reviews! Now, on to the next chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns fairy tail.**

**Chapter 2**

"Ne, Gray?"

He looked at her as he sipped a little from a glass with an ice, cold water.

"You and Lucy have been dating for three months, right?"

"Yes, why Ms. Mira?"

"Well, I have been just thinking, you know. The both of you were dating for that long and yet, she's not your girlfriend?"

"Well, yes. She is not my girlfriend. Not yet." He smiled.

"Then why? I mean, just the very fact that she agreed to date with you means that she already got over with her relationship with Natsu, right? So why? Why haven't you asked her yet? Why haven't you asked her to be your partner?"

"I…" he slightly elevated the glass and rolled it with his fingers, looking at the water, the ice cubes beneath it, and the sweat it produced, "I haven't asked her because I know she's not yet ready for another commitment. I want to ask her when I'm already sure that she'll say "Yes!""

"Ohh. But what do you feel about him?"

"Him?"

"…Natsu"

"Honestly, I don't know." He folded his elbows and placed his hands underneath his head, "I hate him for making Lucy miserable back then. But I thank him for letting her go, giving her a chance to open her door for another guy."

"Have you said that to her?"

"Yup. And as usual, she doesn't reply whenever I tell her that. If ever she's here now, I bet she's going to move away from us and have a chat with Levy."

"A-ahh." She laughed, "I agree. By the way, hasn't she come back yet?" the eldest Strauss looked around.

"Not yet." He shrugged, "Maybe she's having a hard time picking a book she likes."

"Why didn't you accompany her anyway?"

"Well, we're just like that. We believe that the both of us sometimes need personal space. But it's not like we're getting tired of each other."

"I know." She nodded, "You just don't want her to feel any possessiveness from you. After all, you're still not officially lovers."

He got back from his original slouched position.

"…But don't you think you're being too careful?"

He breathed, "I don't know Ms. Mira. I really don't know..."

Their conversation was cut when the guild's door was rashly opened, "Everyone!" Happy yelled.

Everyone looked at him in return.

The he-cat grinned with tiny droplets of tears in the edge of his eyes, "Natsu's back!"

Everyone was so excited when they heard the news. They all stood up from their seats and watched his comeback. As he did his signature smile at everyone, they all jumped at him. They were so happy to see him back. It seemed as if everything happened yesterday. Time moves truly fast.

All of the fairies walked towards him. Some hugged him. Some were teary-eyed. Some even already challenged him to a fight. As everyone crowded Natsu's vision, his eyes noticed someone who was just watching at the side-line. Yes, he was looking at him. But his face wasn't clear of any emotion. It looked like the guy was partially glad, shocked, and upset, that he was finally back. That guy was Gray. Natsu's probably best _frienemy._

After several minutes, some of the wizards sat down, giving him more room for movement. He then sighed and decided to walk towards the ice mage, "Yo, Gray!" he smiled.

At first, the raven-haired didn't know what to do. Would he look away? Well, that would seem impolite. Would he say hi too? That would seem awkward on the contrary. After clouding his head up with much thoughts, he decided to stand up from the chair he was sitting on, heaved a very deep sigh, and gave the pink-haired a solid punch on the head, "How dare you leave everyone without saying a word, flame brain?!"

"Ouch!" he held his head from pain, "The hell's wrong with that greeting, ice freak?!"

As usual, they struck their heads against each other. Just like before. Just like the good ol' times. Everyone laughed as they saw the two. They didn't change at all. Even the fact that Lucy has been in between the two of them, didn't affect their relationship. Now that's a true friend.

"I'm back!" a blonde opened the door cheerfully as she carried in her arms two books.

"Lu-lucy…"Everyone looked at her.

"Hey, what's going on? I've been hearing laughs outside! Is there any—" she dropped the books she held. Maybe out of shock? Or maybe, anger? Or perhaps, happiness?

She saw Natsu. Yes. Natsu Dragneel. The guy who left her six months ago. The guy who told her that they're better off as friends. That guy. His ex-boyfriend.

"I see." She lowered her head and then bent down as she picked up the book from the floor, "You're back. That's why everyone was rejoicing."

She stood up, held the books tightly in her arms. She walked towards him. Everyone was silent. The only noises heard were the sound of Lucy's heels touching the floor, "Welcome back, Natsu!" she slowly tilted her head up, looked at him, then smiled.

"A-ahh. Thanks…" He looked at her. She hasn't change at all. She still looked the same. The same perfect Lucy Heartfilia. Only, she seemed happy now. Totally different from the last time she saw her. The time when they broke up.

"Alright!" the master shouted, "Since Natsu's back, let us all celebrate! Bring out the booze!"

"Yeah!"

All of them were indeed very cheerful. At last, they're complete once again. But, even the smallest insects residing inside the guilds' corners and roof alleys could smell the gawkiness among the three. Lucy just sat on the bar. Natsu brawled with some of his nakamas, however time to time quickly glancing at the blonde. Whereas Gray just observed the two, he didn't join the brawls, he didn't go to Lucy. He just stood there. He just observed.

After hours of having fun, all of them grew tired of what they were doing. A lot fell asleep either because of drinking too much or knocked out by another comrade. Meanwhile, Happy carried Natsu home as he challenged Gildarts to a fight. And of course, the result was pretty much expected.

"Ms. Mira, I'll be going home now."

"U-uh, okay then." She looked carefully at the blonde's face, "Take care, Lucy."

"Gray, let's go."

They walked quietly along the street. None of them was saying any word. Gray though, attempted to start a conversation quite a few times, but he always decided to not continue it.

"Gray…"

"Ye-yes?"

"Why are you so quiet?"

He didn't know what to reply. More precisely, he didn't even know why he was so silent. He had nothing in his mind that time. It's like all he knew was he really loved the girl.

He slowly reached for her hand and held it tightly. He pressed it several times which made the blonde wonder why he was doing that.

"Sorry. I just, I'm just caressing every single second I hold your hand, I wanna feel it's very warmth. I wanna cherish every single moment."

"What are you saying?" she looked at him then smiled, "Are you afraid?"

"…I" he squeezed her hand even tighter.

She then walked two steps further than him, faced him, then hugged him and placed her chin on his shoulder, "Don't worry. There's nothing you should be troubled about." She whispered as slowly dug her head onto his chest, with her smile slowly fading from her beautiful face.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes! Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	5. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi minna! Sorry for the late update! By the way, thank you for your reviews, I appreciate your comments! Now, on to the next chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is a property of Hiro Mashima.**

**Chapter 3**

It was rather awkward. To have the three of them, all in the same guild. All in the same team. And now, all in the same mission.

Well, they couldn't help it; especially it was Master Makarov who asked Fairy Tail's strongest group to handle the problem. They were asked to come to the town where a certain "thing" is wreaking havoc. They could suppose that it would be either a mage or a monster, but for sure, it's a strong one. Or else, Gramps won't ask them to do it, not only because of the "love-triangle" stuff, but also because Team Natsu's known for clearing the job, as well as causing a lot of commotion.

"Sorry, young lads, it can't be helped."

"Master, please don't get mistaken, I am fine with doing this job, but why? I mean, there's Gildarts or Luxus if you need strong warriors."

"Why, Gray? Give me a good answer, then I'll decide whether I should let you handle this job or not."

"I, I just…" he lowered his head as his teammates did the same, "I just don't think this is the right time for us, for all of us, to do anything like this…"

"Well…" the elder clasped his hands, "That's yet to be the worst reason I have ever heard." He turned his back against them, "This is a mission. This is an order. As Fairy Tail members, it's your duty to follow your master. You have the right to complain, etcetera. But you have an invalid plea." He faced them, "Remember. We are a family. Sooner or later, you would've all been together. Now, go and show everyone that a mere span of six months didn't make you rusty when it comes to team work."

"Yes Master." They replied.

As the five mages left the guild, Mirajane walked towards him, "Master, I know this isn't my business, but I am just curious, why now? Why this immediate? You know that the wound is still fresh right?"

"I am well aware of that," he sighed, "But the best time to dress a wound is while it's still fresh."

.

.

As they walked on the way to the train station, things seemed very stroppy. Gray was walking next to Lucy, who was next to Erza. Behind Erza was the flying Happy, and behind Lucy was Natsu. There was no conversation at all. Some of them might speak and ask each other questions, but that's it. There was no Gray and Natsu fighting. There was no Erza threatening them if they don't stop. There was no annoyed, head-ached Lucy,

"Why are we so quiet?"

No one answered the he-cat.

"Hey, am I talking to anyone? Is it so hard to answer why we are so quiet?"

"No one's answering you because you asked a stupid question. How do you expect us to answer why are we—"

"You don't understand!" Happy shouted, "That wasn't a stupid question, Gray. You guys are the stupid ones!" he landed in front of them, "Don't you understand why the master let us take care of this job?!"

"…"

"It's because he wants us to have our time together, as a team!" tears were forming in his eyes, "All he wants is that when we get back to the guild, we're the same Team Natsu again…"

"Happy…"

"But that's not what's happening. You guys… I don't understand you! I was so excited when Natsu said he's coming back. I was beginning to imagine that at last, after a long time, our team would do jobs again and have fun! But you guys don't even try! You don't even try to bring _us _back!"

As the blonde was about to take a step towards the cat to comfort him,

"I hate you guys!" he activated his magic, "This doesn't feel like Team Natsu at all!" he flew.

"Happy! Where are you going?"

They didn't get an answer.

"This is all your fault, ice freak! You said he asked a stupid question that's why he was triggered!"

"Oh really? Then what would you answer him, huh flamebrain?!"

"I wouldn't have replied to his question!"

"Then won't that trigger him too?!"

"Hey, are you two fighting again?"

"He started it, Erza!"

"Natsu, Gray," the celestial mage touched their shoulders, "Stop." She lowered her head, "Happy was right. We're all at fault. Now, let's just find him and then let's apologize."

"But how are we going to find him?"

The scarlet-headed crossed her arms, "Let's all separate then let's just show a signal if we already find him. We can't lose a lot of time; we still have a job to do."

.

.

After almost an hour of searching, they still couldn't find him.

_I wonder where Happy is. I've checked a lot places, but one. I also believe that he is there. I believe that he's in the place where he and Natsu usually go fishing. But, Natsu might also be there. I don't hate him or anything; it's just that, as much as I possible, I don't want to be with him alone. Especially in the woods… damn, that brings a lot of memories… bad memories. But if I don't check that place out, we might take a lot of time doing this. Ugh! Natsu, why haven't you checked the forest yet?! I'm sure Happy's there! Darn it; guess I have no choice…_

.

.

"Happy! Are you here? Please come out!"

All she heard was the wind.

"Happy!"

She heard a rustle in the bushes about five meters away from her.

"Happy, is that you?" she walked towards it. She honestly hoped that it was the exceed, and not a certain insect, or animal, or… _him._

She slowly peeked through the bushes… "Na-natsu? What're you doing there?"

"Oh… I was, I was looking for Happy!" he forced a laugh.

_What a bad liar. Looking for a cat in the bushes? I know he's an idiot, but nobody would do that. I'm sure he was already here in the forest before I did, and then when he heard my voice calling out for Happy, he hid himself so I won't see him… _"What a moronic excuse…" she sighed.

"Did you say something?" he queried as he got himself out of the shrubs.

"Nope." She smiled forcibly, "Say… since we're both here, want to look for him together?" _Wait. Why did I just ask that?! Please say no… please say no._

"Wha—" _Oh no, should I say yes, or no? If I say yes, then we'll be together and the gawkiness between us might rise even higher. But if you think about it, this might also be the perfect time to erase that kind of atmosphere in us. She asked me kindly, so if I reject her… _"Okay, let's look for Happy together."

_He said yes?!_

_I said yes?!_

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry to if you find mistakes. I'm sorry too if you find it too short, it's because I had to cut it there in order to make a good spoiler. Now that Lucy and Natsu's together, what would happen next? Where's Gray? Will this "finding Happy" bring back the lost romance between Natsu and Lucy, or will it just make Lucy realize how better she is off with Gray? By the way, I might be updating really late from now on because I am schooling, but please rest assured that I will update as fast as I can. Tehee~ feel free to review, etc.!\(◦'****'****)/**


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi minna! Thanks for your reviews and of course, patience! To all the GrayLu fans out there, please also support my new fanfic entitled "Hello Baby". Now, on to the next chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. I own a Lucy keychain.**

**Chapter 4**

They kept on calling out for the he-cat's name but they didn't get any answer. Sure they were together, but it's not as if they were really _together_. They weren't even talking or looking at each other. They weren't comfortable yet. They weren't ready to be with each other yet. They didn't even expect to be in that situation that early. Really, destiny knows how to play its game.

"Lu-luce…" he finally said.

"Ye-yes?"

"Are you still… are you still angry with me? Sorry if I brought this up, I just, I just realized that it would be better if we would have a proper conversation before we get anymore missions, but if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine…"

"…" she lowered her head, "I was never angry. I was just hurt."

"So-sorry."

"No, don't be", she promptly responded. "It's all thanks to you, I learned of how things in life are and of course, it's all thanks to you that I finally found someone who would willingly pick me up from where I stumbled." She smiled.

Well that was strange. Right after she finished her sentence, Natsu swore that he sensed a loud and hurtful pain in his chest. He didn't understand it though; he didn't come back to Fairy Tail for Lucy, well at least, that's what he wanted to ponder. He came back for everyone, and yet, he has that feeling that somehow, he still couldn't leave behind, "Ye-yeah… I see you and Gray are finally working out things. Maybe," he breathed deeply, "Maybe he's really the one for you."

And with that, the air was once again filled with a sad silence.

"I, I think I see Happy! I'm just going to get him, wait here, ne Luce?" he walked away as he smiled, forcefully.

"It's funny, to see that him in that manner. To think that the last image he saw of me was the same exact thing he did just now." She bit her lips; "Yeah, maybe I'm better off with Gray…" she suddenly hurriedly walked in the direction where Natsu headed to, "I still think about the things you said to me before though, Natsu…"

She dashed, "Natsu, wait, wait for me. Wait for…" she suddenly slowed down, "And here I am, running towards you again…" She stood still, "You, you always leave me behind…" then tears gradually formed in her eyes, "You said before that you will never leave me. That you will stay by my side forever. Yeah, could I possibly be any dumber? I mean, who would dare think that forever even exists? Some idiot girl who wouldn't know how things are played out…"

She couldn't think of anything else to say, in fact she could never think of anything to say to him, and she just sat there, thinking of the past conversations between them.

"Lucy?"

"G-gray?" she began to burst her emotions out as she hugged him tightly and buried her face onto his chest, "Why can't I stop thinking about him? The harder I try to forget something, the more I think about it."

As he heard her words, he didn't know what to say. So after all, she was still thinking about him? But he knew it way before that's why he never asked her to be his girlfriend. Perchance deep inside him, he hoped that he was able to erase her memories of her aching past.

She cried, "Help me Gray. I don't wanna get hurt again. Help me."

That's when he comprehended that she's trying her best to move on, and perhaps she already has. But maybe, just maybe, Natsu's presence was so powerful that it was able to bring back everything she tried so hard to forget. That's when he decided, "Yes Lucy, I will help you. I will take you back to the person you once were. I will never let him hurt you again." He hugged her even tighter.

"Luce I found Happy, come on Happy!" he dragged the cat, "Luce I—Gray? What's goin' on?" Sure, he was shocked to see that the ice mage was there, but he was even more shocked to realize how piercing it was to see them hug each other.

"…Happy, could you do me a favour and fly Lucy to Erza?"

"Umm, o-okay…" he ran towards Lucy, "Lucy, I'm sorry that I left all of you, were you like this because of me? I'm sorry, please stop crying." And then he flew her away.

"What's happened Gray?"

"Tell me Natsu, do you have any idea how much she cried just to get over you?"

He lowered his head, "Is this the issue? My arrival? If so, I'll just leave and—"

The raven-haired then shouted and hit the tree beside him, "Stop leaving! You always like to do that, eh? How could you leave her so easily?!"

"It was never easy! I, I just don't know what else to do… I needed to think of a way to make things better for her…"

"Tch- And you think running away is better than facing the problem? You're really a moron."

He tilted his head up as he tried to prevent his emotions from breaking down.

"You know, back then, back when you two broke up, she would cry, a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean every time we see her, her eyes were always red and swollen, a product of nonstop sobbing. It was like her whole world was crumbled after you left. After a month or so, she looked better outside, but inside, she wasn't. She would fall into days of deep depression; then finally build up the strength to be positive and to snap out of it for another few days. But the tiniest and simplest thing would trigger off her tears again. That was her routine. It was a tiring process and most of the time she's bothered battling with her mind. It was far stronger than her body. And I saw it all. That's why I was very proud when I saw her acting all strong and tough when you came back. But I was mistaken. Behind her smiles, there's a story we can never understand. That's why she broke into pieces just now."

"I… I don't know what to do anymore…"

He started walking away, "What you have to do is something you should find out."

"I was wrong… I was wrong to leave her…"

"Well then, don't be mad when someone starts to appreciate the person you took for granted. What you won't do, someone else will." He sharply looked at the helpless looking fire mage.

"Gray!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I will take Lucy back! I will take her back and make her happy again! I will take her back and show her how much I still love her!" he finally had the guts to say what he really felt.

He chuckled sarcastically, "That's, if I let you."

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes. The race towards the blonde's heart is now officially on, who shall prevail? Tehee~ feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


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